April 2019: We are chuffed to share our copy of this groundbreaking first edition study of, The Makers of Our Clothes; A Case For Trade Boards, by Mrs. Carl Meyer; Clementina Black, 1909.

But who was Mrs. Carl Meyer and who was Clementina Black? Why was this study and the work of the latter, in particular, considered pioneering?

The Book by itself is an amazing acquisition, then we saw that it was a Presentation Copy! A presentation copy is a copy of a book that is dedicated, illustrated, or signed (without request) by the author/s, or a book that was a gift from the author/s to a particular person or organisation. This copy was gifted to the President of The Board of Trade in 1909. So we then did a bit of research (it really did not take much!) to find out who the President of the Board of Trade was when the book was published and gifted in 1909. We figured that whoever it was would have at least held the book in their hands, and given the subsequent reforms introduced under their tenure in post, read and understood the contents. Alongside the questions, who was Mrs Carl Meyer and who was Clementina Black...we will leave you to find out who the President of the Board of Trade was between 1908 and 1910. Important, though the recipient is to many, the real star for us is the woman who consistently fought for women's right to vote, to unionise and as workers,this is and always will be Cementina Black. We also have a number of Clementina's handwritten/signed letters in our collection...